Bag



Jan. 17, 1939. E. Bl NATHAN I 7 6 BAG' Filed Nov. 28,- 1933 5 INVENTOR ow/A/ 5. NAT/{AN BY v AfiORNEY j Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE 2,144,266 BAG Edwin E. Nathan, Bronx, N. Y. Application November 28, 1933, Serial No. 700,030 1 Claim. (01. -48) This invention relates to'bags andthe like articles for travellers use.-

An object of this invention'is to provide a bag fortravellers 'use,of thezipper closure type and having flaps adapted to separate when; the bag is opened to' permit objects to be readily placed within the bag without buckling-of the sides of the bag. 6

A further object of this inventionis to provide in a bag of the character described,.improved means for locking the zipper fasteners and the flaps and holding the flapsin closed position.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a highly improved bag of the character de- 6 scribed, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to open and close, and which shall nevertheless be practical and efficient to a high degree. 4 4

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out;

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts whichwill be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which'the scope of application will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bag embodying the invention with the flaps shown in wide open position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bag shown in Fig. 1 in closed position;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one end of the zipper fastening means;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the flaps separated and the slider removed;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the slider ready to receive one edge of the closed flap; and

Fig. 8 is an end fragmentary view of the bag shown in modified construction.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, in designates a bag or valise embodying the invention and comprising a bottom wall I I, end walls l2 and I3 and side walls l4 and I5. The side walls l4 and I5 may be curved inwardly somewhat at the top. The end walls l2 and I3 have edges l2a and Ba at the upper ends thereof. Stitched or attached to the upper ends Ida and I5a of the side walls 14 and I5, are flaps If and iii, respectively. The flaps when folded inwardly,'have substantially meeting or contacting edges Fla and; 18a. Attached to the edges Ila. and I8a are complementary hookless fastener members 20 and U actuated by a slider 24. The slider 24 is constructed in the usual manner and is not removable from one of the fastener members 2|, but may be removed from the fastener portion 20 upon being moved in a direction for separating the edges of the flaps and reaching the end 20a of said fastener portion 20. The end edges of the flaps are inclined outwardly toward the longitudinal edges thereof whereby the ends of the flaps overlap the end walls when the flaps are in'closed position. Adominant feature of the invention is the construction of the bag of the type described, having flaps which may be separated and which are closed by a hooklessfastener comprising a slider'which is disengageable from one flap to permit the flaps to be entirely separated whereby the top of the bag may be opened wide at the top.

The end. walls 12 and I3 may be provided with flat, stiff inserts 43 of fibre-board or any other suitable substantially stiff material and having the shape of said ends. Furthermore, there may be incorporated into said end walls, adjacent the upper edges [2a and l3a thereof, stiffening strips 44 made of metal or any other suitable material. With such construction, overlapping of the flaps I! and H3 or pressing together of the sides l4 and I5 is prevented. Thus when the bag is closed, the flaps cannot lift or move away from the end walls l2 and I3 to form openings or spaces between the flaps and said end walls. Said end walls I! and I3 may be made of soft material, merely reinforceable with the strips 44 adjacent the upper edges thereof so that when the flaps are closed, the edges 20 and 2| of the flaps will meet and. the ends of the flaps will contact the upper end portions of the end walls of the bag.

Thus to open the bag, the slider 24 is moved from the left to the right, looking at Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, until said slider reaches the end 20a. of the fastener edge 20. When it is desired to close the flaps, the slider 24 is engaged with the end 20a and may then be moved for closing the complementary fastener members 20, 2 I. The end wall l2 may be provided with a staple or eyelet 25 and the slider 24 provided with a hinged loop 26 receiving said eyelet therethrough, whereby the bag may be locked by the padlock 21 engaging the eyelet.

Attached to the end Zla of the fastener member 20 adjacent the end wall I3, is a tab 30 formed with an opening 3|; and hinged to the end wall I3 of the bag is a swivelled hook 32 adapted to be passed through the opening 3| for retaining the closed flaps down against the bag. It will thus be seen that when the bag is closed, the flaps are retained against the end walls l2 and I3 by the padlock 21 at one end, and by the hinged hook 32 at the other end. The ends of the flaps l1 and I8 preferably overlap the end walls [2 and H! of the bag so that when the flaps are closed, the bag cannot be opened.

As shown in Fig. 1, when the flaps are opened they may be separated by swinging the flaps back on the stitched lines [4a and Ia, presenting a wide, substantially oblong opening at the top of the bag for receiving relatively large articles without the necessity of spreading apart or buckling the side walls l4 and I5 or drawingin and buckling of the end walls l2 and I3 of the bag.

Bags of the general character herein described, have hitherto been made with a single slit at the top, closed by hookless fasteners. When placing articles therein, the sides of the bag must be forced apart, causing the ends of the bag to buckle inwardly. With the present construction, buckling of the walls 12 and I3 is avoided and these walls may therefore be made, of substantially stiff material, thus makingfor greater neatness, durability and facility in use.

There may be attached to the flap l1, adjacent the end 20a of the fasteners 20, a tab 40. When the slider is engaged with said end 20a the tab 40 as well as the tab 30 may be held by the fingers and the slider pulled toward the opposite end of the bag to facilitate engagement of the slider with the fastener portion 20.

As shown in Fig. 80f the drawing, the swivelled or take-up buckle 32 may be omitted, and a snap fastener member 4| attached to the tab 40. A complementary snap fastener 42 fixed to the adjacent end wall [3, cooperates with the snap fastener portion 4| to fix one end of the flap to said end wall l3. It will be noted that the hookless fasteners or zipper operate on substantially a straight line from one end to the other when the ends of the flaps are detached from the end walls of the bag, thus facilitating movement of the slider. In the old type of zipper bags the sides must be held apart during packing. With my improved construction the stiff end walls l2 and I3 or the stiffening members 44 at the upper edges of said end walls serve to hold the side walls I4 and I5 apart during packing. Further- -more, after the bag is packed the side walls do not have to be pressed together for closing the bag. The bag may furthermore be packed up to the upper level of the end walls without compression, and thus pressed shirts, for example, may be laid fiat within the bag without crumpling.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In combination with a bag having a bottom Wall, side walls and stiffened end walls, the side edges of said end walls being attached to the side edges of said side walls throughout, flexible flaps extending from the upper ends of said side walls and adapted to be folded inwardly and having meeting edges and end edges, the ends of said flaps overlapping said end walls, slider actuated means for attaching together the meeting edges of said flaps and comprising a slider detachable from one of said edges to permit said flaps to separate entirely, means for attaching the overlapping portions of said flaps to said end walls, the upper edge portions of said end walls being stiff.

EDWIN B. NATHAN. 

